(February 5, 2014) – The Ocean City Police Department is warning citizens about a current cell phone scam where the potential victim receives a “one ring” call from one of many area codes in the Caribbean Islands.
According to the Better Business Bureau, scammers are using auto-dialers to call thousands of cell phones. The phone will ring only once before disconnecting. If the citizen calls back the number displayed, the caller will then be charged $19.95 for an international call fee and an additional $9-per-minute charge.
Area codes being used by the scammers are 473 (Grenada), 809 (Dominican Republic), 876 (Jamaica), 284 (British Virgin Islands), and 268 (Antiqua/Barbuda).
The BBB suggests that citizens keep a close eye on their cell phone statements and contact their carrier if any unauthorized charges are noticed. Also, citizens are encouraged to research the area code online to see where any unfamiliar phone numbers originate before returning the call.